Born in 1961, Marc-André Doran received most of his musical training at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montréal, where he studied from 1976 to 1986. His principal teachers were Bernard and Mireille Lagacé, Gaston Arel (organ and harpsichord), Magdeleine Martin, Clermont Pépin, and Gilles Tremblay (theory). From 1986 to 1989, he was able to further his organ studies in France with Jean Boyer and Marie-Claire Alain, thanks to numerous grants and bursaries. Upon his return from Europe, he completed his doctorate at the Université de Montréal with Réjean Poirier.

Over the years, Marc-André Doran has won many prizes from the conservatories in Montréal (first prize for organ by unanimity of the jury, McAbbie bursary for overall studies), Lille (prize for professional development) and Rueil-Malmaison (prize for excellence). In 1985, he won the Royal Canadian College of Organists' performance prize. He went on to win the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial foundation of Toronto Prize in 1989. The city of Laval's Fondation de soutien aux artistes awarded him several bursaries including an honourable mention from the jury in 1993 for bis overall career.

Marc-André Doran has been heard in numerous public recitals and broadcasts. He has performed in Canada and Europe, notably at Notre-Dame in Paris. He is a music commentator and host on the French FM network of the CBC, and teaches at the school of music in the Centre culturel de Joliette and at Concordia University in Montréal. Since 1980, Marc- André Doran has been organist at the historic church of La Visitation, in Montréal's North-End. He worked closely with organbuilder Hellmuth Wolff on the reconstruction project for the organ, rebuilt from the remains of one of Canada's oldest instruments.